Just got back from the Caribbean Princess

[torbs]

Okay, I have finally arrived home but too tired for an extensive review. I would be very happy to answer questions however. A full review to follow but I think others will be me to it. Bring'em on.

Until 4/3 Caribbean Princess
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Caribbean Princess 4/3/04
Navigator of the Seas 8/03
Voyager of the Seas 6/01

[sue d. miller]

Oh thank you. We have been waiting all day!. Did you get to the aft pool? Were there any tables on the terrace by the bar? Could you hear the movies under the stars back there? Thank you again,

Sue

7 days on Star Princess
October 24, 2004

[SWEETSEA]

Just give us the highlights PLEASE....Food, MOVIES, etc!

[FamilyFun]

Welcome back and thanks for the post!

My top questions are:

1) Everyone was concerned about overcrowding. What is your opinion?

2) How was the Movies Under the Stars. Was it well organized? Too Loud?

3) How was the food?

Thanks - we have all been dying back here for any information.

Brenda

[torbs]

I did not visit the aft pool too often, not as much sun. There were some tables back there but I wouldn't say a bunch. Most of the action was at the two middle pools. I would say the aft pool had a laid back feel but it is also where the kid rooms/pool is located.

You couldn't hear the movie from back there. It is located at the pool that is below the smoke stacks. The screen is right in front. I thought it was very cool however for certain nights/movies, they required reservations. The same movie played every night for the most part (somethings got to give). The other two nights were concerts (tina turner and somebody who i never heard off but that is not saying much)

i hope this helps

Until 4/3 Caribbean Princess
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Caribbean Princess 4/3/04
Navigator of the Seas 8/03
Voyager of the Seas 6/01

[sue d. miller]

Thank you so much. I am so relieved.

Sue

7 days on Star Princess
October 24, 2004

[CruiseKing]

Torbs,

I will be on the CP on May 1st, do you recall the name of the Maitre'd and any of the room captains?
Thank you.

Bruce

Crown 1991 Eastern Caribbean
Dreamward 1994 Bermuda
Sun 1997 Western Caribbean
Grand 1999 Mediterranean
Dawn 2000 Southern Caribbean
Ocean 2001 Mexican Riviera
Crown 2001 Hawaii/Tahiti
Dawn 2002 Eastern Caribbean
Conquest 2003 W. Caribbean
Dawn 2003 Transit Panama Canal

[jpancake]

Hi torbs. Thanks for answering our questions tonight.

What did they use the movie screen for during the day?

Did you try the food in the Caribe Cafe?

Thanks again.

Jason Pancake
Grand Princess - 03/11/2001 (<A HREF=http://www.houseofpancake.com/pictures.php?id=14>Pictures</A>)
Caribbean Princess 11/20/2004

[njoyndride]

Torbs,

What are the approximate hours they run the movies? Is there more than one an evening?

Sharon

Elation 05/98
Paradise 04/99
Destiny 10/99
Inspiration 05/00
Enchantment of the Seas 10/00
Rhapsody of the Seas 03/01
Carnival Spirit 05/01
Grandeur of the Seas 11/01
Ocean Princess 04/02
Jubilee 09/02
Carnival Conquest 03/03
Serenade of the Seas 11/08/03
Rhapsody of the Seas 02/29/04-Daughter's Wedding

Caribbean Princess 06/05/04

Cast off the ropes, cast off your cares...we're outta here
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[torbs]

Family Fun:

I think I am partial to RCCL when it comes to the mega ships for this was my first Princess experience. Inaugural cruise aside here are my responses to your questions:

1) I think overcrowding was a problem for the PC diners. We went the traditional route, second seating and did not have a problem. I heard many people complain about the PC issue. In general however, overcrowding did not seem to be a problem other than see days. I don't think the layout of the ship is necessarily the best for the amount of people. However, I might say that about the Grand or Golden if they are basically all the same. There didn't seem to be a flow.

2) Movies Under the Stars was neat other than the fact they played the same movie 4 of the seven days. You have to make a reservation and other than the first night, there was plenty of seating. 2 showings nightly. They will play videos during the day. I thought it did seem loud at times.

3) I thought the food in the main dining room was excellent. The buffet was okay. Very crowded for breakfast. Coming from 2 RCCL cruises, I felt Princess won this battle with the exception of the steak house (did not go to Sabatini's). There were major reservation problems with this room. According to the manager, they built the kitchen too small given the size of the restaurant. People would have to wait an extra 1/2 sometimes with empty tables in full view. Comparing this to Chops on RCCL, it does not hold a candle. RCCL does charge more but they make the experience closer to a Morton's or Capital Grille. Can't say the same for Princess.

I hope this helps

Until 4/3 Caribbean Princess
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Caribbean Princess 4/3/04
Navigator of the Seas 8/03
Voyager of the Seas 6/01

[SuzeeQ]

Hi Torbs, welcome back!! We are all awaiting the reviews and "tips" from the inaugural passengers!! I am sailing on 4/24! My questions are:

1)Did you eat or hear about anyone's experiences at the Steakhouse? Is it really that "special"..meaning what sets it apart from having a steak in the dining room?

2)How was the entertainment? Who was the cruise director----Paul or Graham?

3)Any do's and don'ts you'd like to share on excursions, ports, ship's activities, etc....

4)Your suggestion on the best place to have a gathering with cruise critic friends for the send off from Ft. lauderdale (sun deck bar, etc...)?

Thanks in advance---can't wait to hear all about it!

Suzy

[torbs]

The movies play twice a night, 7:30 and 10:30. During the day they show music videos, sometimes with and w/o sound. Kind of wierd. I think they are working the kinks out. In fact they were in the middle of posting two flat screens next to the bar under the main screen.

I did not try the Caribe Cafe but it seemed to get a crowd.

Until 4/3 Caribbean Princess
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Caribbean Princess 4/3/04
Navigator of the Seas 8/03
Voyager of the Seas 6/01

[FamilyFun]

Torbs

Thanks for all your comments. We had been wondering about the Steakhouse.

Thanks!

[njoyndride]

Thanks Torbs, appreciate you posting. I know it's late and you've had a long day!

http://macwayzoo.com/anibunny.gif

Sharon

Elation 05/98
Paradise 04/99
Destiny 10/99
Inspiration 05/00
Enchantment of the Seas 10/00
Rhapsody of the Seas 03/01
Carnival Spirit 05/01
Grandeur of the Seas 11/01
Ocean Princess 04/02
Jubilee 09/02
Carnival Conquest 03/03
Serenade of the Seas 11/08/03
Rhapsody of the Seas 02/29/04-Daughter's Wedding

Caribbean Princess 06/05/04

Cast off the ropes, cast off your cares...we're outta here
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[torbs]

Suzy:

I did eat at the steakhouse but it was nothing special. Chops on RCCL blows it away.

Paul was the cruise director and I thought he was pretty lame. James, the asst cruise the director was very good. The entertainment in general was pretty good. This might sound weird but i think they might have had too many options. Compromises had to be made between me and the wife.

As far as excursions/activities were concerned, i would say there was anything that really stood out. I did notice some major changes in Cozumel. I was there in 6/2001 and came back with a very dirty feeling. They have since cleaned it up and even built a new cruise terminal. I was pleasantly surprised.

Best place for a get together, either of the middle pools on lido or sun deck

Until 4/3 Caribbean Princess
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Caribbean Princess 4/3/04
Navigator of the Seas 8/03
Voyager of the Seas 6/01

[DBDB9116]

Thanks for posting. My daughter and I have been watching this site all day!
Were there any problems getting chairs at the pools? Are the rooms spacious? We have a balcony on Caribe.

Thanks so much.

[torbs]

by the way, please excuse the typs and grammer. i am working on 4 hours sleep!

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Caribbean Princess 4/3/04
Navigator of the Seas 8/03
Voyager of the Seas 6/01

[fig414]

Oh my God
The first review is in. Please let the poor soul relax for 1 minute. I may be wrong but I'll bet there will be 100 questions by Sunday afternoon to this unexpected poster (or this not unexpected person). I'll check back after #100.

Fig
Caribbean Princess 5/15

[suzw]

Torbs,
I think it is really nice of you to post this Q/A session considering what a long day you have had. http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif
Suzanne



;0

[SuzeeQ]

Yes, thanks Torbs for taking the time!!
Suzy

[torbs]

DB:

Sea days are the only time pool chairs are a problem. If you got to the pool by 9:30/10 am no problem, otherwise, you might be inhailing some smoke. In fact the sun deck surrounding the pool was my preference. Not so much because of the sun but the breeze. The was a lot of dead air near the pool. This due to the fact the entire Lido deck is enclosed on the sides, no sliding windows like some other ships.

We had an outside balcony cabin on the Baja deck. Seemed to be pretty roomy. The cabins on Voyager class ships are a little bigger for a frame of reference.

Until 4/3 Caribbean Princess
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Caribbean Princess 4/3/04
Navigator of the Seas 8/03
Voyager of the Seas 6/01

[DBDB9116]

Thanks Torbs!

[torbs]

No problem to both Suzys.

P.S. Suzw, give LL a little kiss on the cheek for me :-)

Until 4/3 Caribbean Princess
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Caribbean Princess 4/3/04
Navigator of the Seas 8/03
Voyager of the Seas 6/01

[suzw]

thanks Torbs...she missed you

[torbs]

cruiseking:

i am sorry don't recall any of the names you are looking for. along those lines however, my wife's birthday via the cruise personalizer. I am not complaining, just warning those who make special requests should follow up with the appropriate people. I don't know if it was a web site or ship thing.

Until 4/3 Caribbean Princess
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Caribbean Princess 4/3/04
Navigator of the Seas 8/03
Voyager of the Seas 6/01

[torbs]

Suzw:

We missed her too!! Is she afraid of AK?

Until 4/3 Caribbean Princess
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Caribbean Princess 4/3/04
Navigator of the Seas 8/03
Voyager of the Seas 6/01

[torbs]

Cruiseking;

correction, i do remember our cabin steward's name, Samuel

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Caribbean Princess 4/3/04
Navigator of the Seas 8/03
Voyager of the Seas 6/01

[suzw]

yes, definately

[CruiseKing]

Thank you. I appreciate the response.

Bruce

Crown 1991 Eastern Caribbean
Dreamward 1994 Bermuda
Sun 1997 Western Caribbean
Grand 1999 Mediterranean
Dawn 2000 Southern Caribbean
Ocean 2001 Mexican Riviera
Crown 2001 Hawaii/Tahiti
Dawn 2002 Eastern Caribbean
Conquest 2003 W. Caribbean
Dawn 2003 Transit Panama Canal

[torbs]

To all good night! I hope I was able to give you a preliminary feel. I am sure there will be many more reviews to come!

Until next time!

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Caribbean Princess 4/3/04
Navigator of the Seas 8/03
Voyager of the Seas 6/01

[chloeleigh]

Was on the 4/3 sailing, had a better time than even expected..must have really been in bad need of a vacation...as point of comparison..have been on cruises with carnival, norwegian, celebrity, royal carib and now finally princess..royal carib and princess have been my two favorite...adventures of the seas (royal carib) takes a slight lead in the offering of rock climbing wall, ice skating rink and show, shade over hot tubs, and daily newsletter posted at various locations...impressions of this princess cruise..ship was very clean (obviously since new, even saw some carpeting already being repaired as we were disembarking today), it think it was very nice, but more understated than the glitzy glass sculptures and promenade on royal carib..a highlight of the princess cruise was lots of variety of entertainment during the evenings...so much so that choices had to be made and we'd hop from one to the other...comedy and piano bar (Burt the pianist was VERY popular,and one of my personal favorites), as well as regular main princess theatre entertainment...we did traditional second seating dining and had good experiences..overheard those with personal choice complaining, especially on formal nights..and felt badly that often those people just opted for buffets..the ports visited were very nice..order of preference was Cozumel, Grand Cayman, Princess Cayes, and last but not least (since it was the favorite of my rasta wannabe husband) was Montego Bay..highly recommend booking excursions on your own, since cruise excursions will cost you more and with more restrictions timewise, etc...Cozumel we did Chankaneeb Marine Park which was actually beautiful and a nice place to snorkel, we had signed up well in advance on the net for the royal dolphin swim, which was a once in a lifetime experience..all 5 of us loved it...Cayman Islands, we did the stingray city..also a lot of fun, but we booked with captain marvins which was a little less expensive and the boat was smaller and more personalized so we weren't with a ton of people, for jamaica i was just plain worried about safety so i booked thru the cruise for the horseback riding..definitely a nice time, no amazing trotting, galloping, just a nice simple horse walk, but the finale is swimming the horses thru water..definitely a unique experience...forgive the disjointedness of this post but it's almost midnight, just getting home, settled and about to start the first load of laundry...movies under the stars was nice novel idea, was surprised it required reservations, but same movie is shown about 4 nights, two seatings each, so it's not that hard to get a seat..they set u up with lounge chair, blanket, popcorn...very cute idea, we opted to sleep on the deck chair a while after the movie ended since we were already so comfy...definitely helped having the cruise critic get together for sailaway..made seeing familiar faces aboard, that much more fun as the trip continued...other bit of advice..on princess cayes, we were told no need for money since it was all ship owned...but that wasn't the case, there were sourvenires for sale as well as MANY hair braiders..so you do need to take cash there as well as the ship card...will post more, and look forward to reading other people's opinions and posts after we all get some sleep

[CruiseFever]

Thanks so so much for taking the time with us, we all really appreciate it!

Happy Cruising

Chris

www.LifeIsCruising.com (http://www.LifeIsCruising.com)

Next up:
Caribbean Princess 06/26/04
Star Princess 10/24/04
Carnival Victory 12/19/04
Carnival Miracle 03/13/05

[nick1234]

I have a few questions.
1. should we make our reservations for the week if we have pc dining?Can you do this as soon as you board?

2. Hot topic this week has been the formal attire. Did you see people on formal nights not dressed formally?

3. Since the buffet is so troublesome can we eat in the dining room for breakfast and lunch?

4. How was the weather?

Thanks cant wait to go in a few weeks

Ali

[chloeleigh]

in response to your questions..1. don't know about making PC reservations for the week as i had traditional dining 2. formal dining..you don't have to dress to the nines although some people did, but you'd feel comfortable in almost any dress (and no stockings required, hence not totally formal) we did see one man in a dark t-shirt one formal night and polo shirt (no jacket) the other and we did end up talking about him, so i wouldn't go to that extreme..but if you don't want the ball gowns with hair done in the beauty parlor updo look with lots of jewelry, you don't have to go that route either..3. for breakfast and lunch..they don't open all the dining rooms for sit down and hours were limited..but the days that we did manage to do the dining rooms for those meals, we were very satisfied..on shore excusions days, you don't necessarily want to lose port time just to have a better meal..also, in addition to the buffets..there is pizza (much better than the dominoe's quality that i expected) as well as the trident grill with not only the hamburgers and hot dogs avail, but also veggie burgers and chicken sandwiches..so that worked for a 4pm lunch when coming back froom shore excursions (dining room closed at 2pm for lunch and caribe cafe (which i expected to be open longer) closed at 2:30 for lunch)..hope this was helpful

[cruzenmama]

Is there a difference between the Caribe Cafe and the Horizon Court?

Jeanne-Marie

Caribbean Princess 10/16/2004
Triumph 4/26/2003
Triumph 4/13/2002
Sensation 96-01
Destiny 97
Costa Victoria 99
Horizon 95
Noordam 89
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[goldengirl]

hi
thanks for your r4vioew so quickly, it is much appreciated, hope you had a nice cruise.

my questions are please:
i heard it was hard to make a reservation at the Steakhouse, is that true. it sounds as if it is no big deal.

what kind of enrichment activites did they offer daily, and what was the fee?

what time did the ship dock, in florida and what time did you get to the airport? i have a 11;30 a.m. flight and i am anxious if i will make it in time usairways changed our flight time home.,

thanks for all of your help.

what was the age rANGE ON THE SHIP?

have a good week

[KarenTom]

Hello,

Glad to hear everyone had a good trip. We'll be on the Caribbean May 1st and I was just wondering if you remembered the order of the themes for the dining each night. We want to make some reservations for the specialty restuarants on the italian and french nights.

Thanks!!!

[BluIDblonde]

FOR CHLOELEIGH-
Thanks for your information. I have 3 questions: On the horseback riding excursion, did you HAVE to go through the water with the horses? I am allergic to salt water and would love to ride the horses, but was unsure if going through the water was a MUST!

ALso...Was the pool open as the movie played on in the night? I understand you need to make reservations to watch the movie, how do you make them? Thanks for your time....

http://www.yonabello.com/images/SRES.gif
http://images.websuite.com/img_library/a008.gif

"Attitude is the minds paintbrush. It can color any situation."

[igloo42]

Hi - we were also on the ship this past week (Hi Michelle!)

all reservations can be made (or a connection to the correct department) through the concierage (sp?) extension 6219....for the Movies under the stars - one night they had the NCAA basketball game up there & another night they had a 6:30pm showing of Finding Nemo - no reservation required & both well attended and enjoyed

we arrived in Ft Lauderdale at about 5am and we were cleared by 8:20am, our flight was late so we took the Everglades/Santuary tour through the ship - actually saw a gator so the group was happy and it was a lot better than waiting at the Miami airport for all of those hours...

I agree with Chloe on the formal night dress - as long as you were up a notch from the other nights, pretty much anything is okay but I did see many people dressed to the nines having a great time, most of our group (9 of us were female) wore cocktail lentgh and were quite appropriately dressed. Smart casual for most were golf/polo/hawain shirts and chinos/slacks for the guys and slacks/skirts (many tropical in color scheme) and nice summer tops for the ladies.

Also, the casino was fairly quiet and the first couple of days the dealers were changing way to fast & then later in the week they obviously who could handle which tables and the changes were actually too slow - on the roulette wheels they did not control the betting well - tooooo many early and late placements of bets, which made many of us who were "trained" in Vegas or AC very uncomfortable....drinks were also extremely hard to get in the casino - at one point I was at the roulette wheel for almost an hour and though I didn't want a drink I wasn't offered one either...

I would also highly reccomend the Dolphin swim/snorkel at the Marine park in Cozamel - it is pricey (and then there are the pictures/video that you really don't want to pass up) but it is probably one of the best excursions I have ever taken in almost 30 cruises!

Bob Voyage to all future travelers of the CP.

Doreen

igloo42

[Rob & Tam]

Doreen,
Did you do the Balcony Lobster Dinner or know anyone who did... interested in knowing what that turns out like?

Anything that you would say was a DO NOT MISS... DW and I are on the May 1 sailing.

Carnival Paradise 4/01 Western Caribbean
Carnival Paradise 3/02 Southern Caribbean
Coming Soon... Caribbean Princess 5/1/04

[igloo42]

Hi Rob & Tam - other than the Dolphins, we did the Island tour with Stingray city (Hell is a pure tourist trap but the turtle farm was a pleasant surprise - our group got a real kick out of picking them up) and stingray city is a must - I organized all of our trips through the ship because I had 15 people traveling with us and wasn't looking to make extra work for myself but I know Capt Marvin's is a great tour group in Cayman. My husband, etc loved the golf in Montego Bay (but of course they would love golf anywhere...)

A couple of cool things to do on board are - in Skywalkers go to the far end of the room and look down out the window (either during the day or night) the view of the ocean is pretty cool, afternoon tea - sounds boring but it was one of the best variety of treats the whole week (marzipan cookies to scones with fresh jam & cream and little sandwiches), the beef wellington at dinner one night was fabulous, the movies under the stars was impressive (though we didn't attend a formal movie - we enjoyed the NCAA tournament and a short bit of Finding Nemo), we didn't do any of the specialty resturants but I did hear Sabatini's was very good (and it smelled wonderful!), if you are into wine tastings the first one ($7.50) was nice but the 2nd one ($25) was really nice - great individual tray of fancy hordvours (sp?) and even a sampling of Opus One (which they have on the ship for $148 per bottle - they gave us an opportunity to get $20 off a bottle if we bought it that day for dinner - too much $ for me for a bottle of wine but I saw 1 or 2 folks going for it...) and last but not least - the Lotus Spa, even if you don't go for a treatment - use the saunas, relaxation tables & the Japanese spa...for anyone who has kids their youth spa program was great my DD had the massage & then I surprised her with the facial - she had a blast but back to adults, my seaside facial was excellent, husbands hot stone massage was very good (please note the last set of stones is Cold to close up the pores - quite a surprise for some), my deep tissue massage was very good, all of the group who had the 25 minute swedish massage really loved it but I would say the reflexology was not worth the time/$. 3 points - many of the massage therapists are limited english speakers, so keep trying if you are not geting your point across; try to book for a port day (i.e. 5pm on Princess Cays or Grnad Cayman day) - you get port day prices but you are not mising any port time; and get there early or plan to stay after to enjoy the relaxation room.

Hope you have a great trip!

Doreen

Other thoughts, snorkeling in Princess Cays to the right side of the rocks was excellent (even if you are not a snorkeler you can still see many interesting fish just from the pier by the snorkeling area and also the fresh fruit to the side of the buffet in PC was really good.

igloo42

[DBDB9116]

Can I ask what age do they consider eligible for the Youth Spa treatments.
Thanks,
DB

[igloo42]

Hi - for youth treatments,the ages are 13-18 and this is the only ship I have ever seen this on - the prices are reasonable and they require bathing suit or loose fitting clothing - no other options like adult massages (I would suggest pre-resrving on-line, it actually worked qquite well)

Also, sorry I didn't do the balcony dining & didn't hear anyone talking about it.

Doreen

igloo42

[DBDB9116]

Thanks Doreen You just saved me some money. I have already booked my daughter as an adult. I'll change them now.
DB http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

[idcruisers]

Doreen,

We are taking our kids (16, 14, 9) on 9/18/04. It will be their first cruise. How old is your daughter? What did you think of the kids programs? What did she think? Did she eat in the dining romms with you? Any info for the kids would be great. We can't wait.
Thanks,
Ilise

[goldengirl]

hi
welcome back to all of your cruisers.

i have some questions please.

What is there to do on Princess cays? do you tender in? Do they have a barbeque there?

Does the princess cruise line give each passenger a canvas tote bag in there room?

What time di any of you get back to the ft lauderdale airport to fly home?

Did anyone take a cab on there own what was the fee?

Did they have a captain's party?

How was the nightly entertainment?

Does anyone have any menus so we know which night
is which theme?

can anyone tell me what the enhancement activities were on the ship such as pottery etc?

what movies did they show?

hope to hear from you all soon with more info

thanks

glad you all had a nice cruise

[CruiseFever]

Could you explain the relationship of the Caribe Cafe to the Horizon Court? Are in different areas? Any more information would be appreciated

Happy Cruising

Chris

www.LifeIsCruising.com (http://www.LifeIsCruising.com)

Next up:
Caribbean Princess 06/26/04
Star Princess 10/24/04
Carnival Victory 12/19/04
Carnival Miracle 03/13/05

[goldengirl]

hi
welcome back to all of your cruisers.

i have some questions please.

What is there to do on Princess cays? do you tender in? Do they have a barbeque there?

Does the princess cruise line give each passenger a canvas tote bag in there room?

What time di any of you get back to the ft lauderdale airport to fly home?

Did anyone take a cab on there own what was the fee?

Did they have a captain's party?

How was the nightly entertainment?

[igloo42]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by idcruisers:
Doreen,

We are taking our kids (16, 14, 9) on 9/18/04. It will be their first cruise. How old is your daughter? What did you think of the kids programs? What did she think? Did she eat in the dining romms with you? Any info for the kids would be great. We can't wait.
Thanks,
Ilise<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>


The kids programs were very good especially for the younger kids - my DD & niece are 15 & 16, they actually preferred hanging with us and did have dinner with us every night - the wait staff was great with them and they loved the attention. Chloeleigh & Sea-escape both have younger kids & might be of help but all of the parents with younger kids said the planned events were really good. We had traditional late dining in the Palm, so we did not have dinner reservation issues which you might have with a bigger group.

Also, if they are into animals, the dolphins & sealions in Cozamel are great tours and the turtle farm was a nice stop and stingray city is always fun in Grand Cayman.

Doreen

igloo42

[igloo42]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by goldengirl:
hi
welcome back to all of your cruisers.

i have some questions please.

What is there to do on Princess cays? do you tender in? Do they have a barbeque there?

Does the princess cruise line give each passenger a canvas tote bag in there room?

What time di any of you get back to the ft lauderdale airport to fly home?

Did anyone take a cab on there own what was the fee?

Did they have a captain's party?

How was the nightly entertainment?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Hi - tender in Princess Cays & Grand Cayman; yes, the b-b-q buffet is on Princess Cays;no tote bag in our cabin (not even a logo plastic bag...);we had a late Miami flight so we took the Everglades tour - it was more fun than I thought it would be and it was much better than sitting in the Miami airport;we took the ship transfers - so hopefully someone else can help with the cab (the transfers probably took more time but we had a big group so it was easier);there was a captain cocktail party which was done at 2 times and was spread over many public rooms - we stood by the Lobby bar and had plenty of drinks & hor'derves (sp?);and entertainment at night was mixed - I didn't choose to go to most of it but one of the comics was good and the hyptonist was very good, there was music available at multiple locations most of the afternoon/evening.

Hope that helps.

igloo42

[DBTB]

Thanks for the info Igloo42. Did you use room service for food? If so, how did it go?

[chloeleigh]

Hi Doreen,
Doreen has answered most of the questions, so i'll try to post without repetition. For Princess Cayes, we did tender in, there was a bar beque, very little to eat there for vegetarians like myself (just a warning), restaurants on ship were great for vegeatrians, just not the princess cayes barbeque...bring cash to princess cayes, we were told just use your shipcard since island owned(actually leased) by princess...igloo, thx to the cruise critic gathering the day before, was kind enuf to offer to lend my husband cash for hair braiding and/or souvenirs, which were not obtainable by shipcard acct..fortuantely we had a friend from home with us who spotted us the cash, but very nice gesture on igloo's part...for kids, my 11 year old daughter didn't want to do too much with the 10-12 year old group..they wouldn't let her go up to the 13 year olds with her sister and her friend, but the older ones could go down to the 10-12 year old group..she wasn't interested in the rollercoaster building or the science projects, or "baby games" as she put it...i thought it all sounded good, but i did hear those types of comments from other 11 and 12 year olds that i met in the hot tub...my 13 year old daughter had a friend with her on board so they came and went from the teen program..some daytime activities were good, i was uncomfortable with the 13 year old girls hanging with the 17 year old boys in the latenight hours of teen program, especially since i overhead the way the guys were talking about which girls they were "going to go for"...bartenders were good about not serving minors, but i did hear complaints about a group of 16 year olds who brought booze back onboard from montego bay and that was a problem..my 14 year old son was also onboard with a friend from home, they both had a blast and i didn't worry about them when they were off on their own latenight...not to have diff't standards for son vs daughter, but it happened...trust my kids, just worried about older boys taking advantage of the budding 13 year old girls...kids were all having a good time in their separate "off limits" teen room...even the teens liked getting the stuffed frog teen program souvenir...as far as transfers...we took hotel shuttle from wyndam airport hotel to pier and they charged us $8 per person..it was a van and could easily accomodate our luggage and the 5 of us...upon disembarking, a porter at airport just grabbed us a regular taxi..it held the 5 of us, luggage in trunk was a bit tight, but it ended up being the biggest bargain..he quoted me just $13 for all of us from pier to airport..and then when he found out it was continental, apparently a closer terminal, he changed it to $11..as far as timing..i had a late flight, 3pm out of ft. lauderdale so we were totally taking our time, and not rushing off the ship...even with that, we got to airport by 10:45am and had plenty of time to kill with the rather lousy and overpriced chili's airport restaurant food..i wanted to check the luggage and take another cab to the beach (15 minutes away) but hubby was into relaxing and reading at the gate...sure, i had the kids to contend with..oh well, vacation is over, back to reality happy to answer any future questions, hope i hit responses to previously asked ones

[igloo42]

Hi DBTB - no we didn't use room service so I can't help there but the pizza & burger areas were well attended by our group & though the lines ebbed & flowed I never waited longer than 5 minutes to be served - really efficient crew in those areas.

Hi - to expand on Chloeleigh thoughts - the friends I made through our roll-call for this cruise were such a pleasant add-on and some of us did see each other alot - mostly luck of the draw but exceptionally fun!

doreen

igloo42

[doctrd]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by BluIDblonde:
FOR CHLOELEIGH-
On the horseback riding excursion, did you HAVE to go through the water with the horses? I am allergic to salt water and would love to ride the horses, but was unsure if going through the water was a MUST!

We did the horseback riding and they stopped the horses to remove the saddles. Then they went in groups in the water. So to answer your question, you do not have to go in the water. Too bad, because it is the best part of the ride! Only your legs get a little wet, consider latering your legs up with waterproof cream when they take a break to take off the saddles.

http://community.webshots.com/user/doctrd


Paradise 3/04
Destiny 11/03
Destiny 3/03
Voyager of Seas 11/99
Paradise 7/99
Grand Princess (Grand Suite) 4/99
Grand Princess (Grand Suite) 11/98
Imagination 7/98
Fantasy 7/97

[stevewiz]

Is there an Arcade on the new ship similiar to the one that is on the Grand in the back. tks

[BluIDblonde]

To Doctrd-

Thanks so much for your response about the horseback riding!!!

http://www.yonabello.com/images/SRES.gif
http://images.websuite.com/img_library/a008.gif

"Attitude is the minds paintbrush. It can color any situation."

[chloeleigh]

BluIDblonde,
Sorry i missed your horseback riding question earlier but glad to see someone responded...You do NOT need to go into the salt water on the horses, but if you're not planning to do that part of the trip, i wouldn't bother with the horses at all, since that was really the only uniqueness of the excursion, otherwise it was just a SLOW walk through some acreage..not sure of your allergy to the water on river tubing, but i heard that was a good excursion as well...

[sandymc47]

Chris, I am still waiting for someone to answer your question about the "horizon Ct." vs the "Caribe". Are they one and the same? Every time I have sailed Princess, the "Horizon Ct". was open, 24-7, with something to eat. I have read here, the "Caribe" is closed after 2;30???? Any answers out there? Can you order an entree from the dining room menu , in the buffett, at night?

sandymc

[sue d. miller]

posted 04-12-04 10:49 AM
Hi All - this might help! The Trident Grill (hamburgers, etc.)and the Prego Pizzeria is open from 11:00am to 8:00pm and Scoops (ice cream) is open from 11:00am t0 5:30pm and again from 7:30pm to 10:30pm so snacks are available till 10:30pm if you like ice cream. The desserts in the Cafe Caribe were very limited the night we were there - some kind of cake and a couple of little things, nothing like what you find on the buffet. Happy cruising...Carol
The Caribe is located at the aft of Horizon.

Sue
7 days on Star Princess 10/24

[sue d. miller]

SF, Cafe Caribe has standard fare from 11pm till 4am, yes you can get a sirloin steak at 2 in the morning. I found these two posts on other return postings.

Sue
7 days on Star Princess 10/24

[chloeleigh]

Additional comment re: Cafe Caribe...i was also under the impression that it would be a 24 hour buffet, and having read about the rock lobster, my son and i were psyched...disappointed to find out that it closed after lunch at 2:30 and didn't open again until dinner at 5:30...since we had traditional second seating, we very rarely ate there since it was closed by the time we got back from shore excursions...one at sea day they had tons of assorted sushi at lunch time..that was a nice treat..but there was no way to tell in advance that that was going to be available, and when people were so excited to find it, they were told, "enjoy it, this is only offered here for one day"...my kids did go into the cafe caribe for dinner one night and were a little freaked that there was some roasted pig or some other animal..think it was a cultural/ethnic type of night, but it didn't go over well with my kids...nothing like the rock lobster we were expecting

[CruiseMuscle]

Did the ship feel crowded? I know that there is an addtional deck of cabins.

Kevin

[bcollan]

cruisemuscle, read this thread, my thread, and a few others to get a good "feel" for the Caribbean Princess! http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gifhttp://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gifhttp://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

Bill C.

[nancyrg]

one more question please:

who was the art director on the ship?

[carol allen]

hi everyone

did they serve crab legs at dinner at night?
does anyone have a menu for this ship?
could you get shrimp cocktail at night?

carol

[Tyffni]

I read a review somewhere else which said there was a lot of underage drinking on the ship. It also said that many of the teenagers lacked parental supervision which resulted in knocking on other passenger doors in the wee hours and rude pool behavior. Did any of you notice this??

Our honeymoon cruise!!
http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=0000ff&cdt=2004;7;3;16;00;00&timezone=GMT-0500

[yensid1071]

I have a set of menus, but need to scan them and upload them. I'll try to get that done pretty quick, but the menus got mixed up and I don't remember what order they were arranged. Regardless, it'll give you an idea of what they serve. http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif And hopefully it doesn't spoil the anticipation for those yet to cruise. http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif

Caribbean Princess - 4/2004
Dawn Princess - 12/2003
Sea Princess - 12/2000
Emerald Seas - 7/1984

[sea-escape]

stevewiz - We were on the 4/3 sailing, too. Unfortunately, there was no arcade, which really was a disappointment to my 10 yo son. There is a room called fiesta arcade, which was small and empty. Perhaps they didn't have the machines, yet? I don't know how big the arcade is on the Grand or Golden, but this room was tiny. It was misleading. They do have virtual golf on board and some Play Station 2 games in the kids room, but always very crowded.

Someone asked about pottery classes. My daughter loved it. It was $35. per hour, but be careful. An hour is a long time to do the wheel and each piece is $15. to keep and glaze. My dd kept 3 and we had to be back on the ship on Cozumel day between 3-5 to do the painting. That was not convenient and should have been offered while at sea. (or in the evening)

As far as room service, my kids tried to order a few nights and got no answer. I think they were very busy. We did order a pot of coffee every morning to be delivered to our stateroom and it was always on time as a wake-up call! http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

Liz

[gkeep]

Hi, I don't remember any crab legs - but there was a lot of seafood. The shrimp cocktail was on the everday side of the menu. My mother in law ordered one every night. DOn't have any menus, sorry!

[carol allen]

hi

thanks for the response on the seafood -

i was on the sun princess with crab legs already split for you - they were unbelieveably good - glad to hear about the shrimp

did anyone try the fettuccini - it was great also

carol

[yensid1071]

Carol, I had the fettuccini on the CP and it was *great*!! Also had it on the Dawn in December and it was just as good. I asked them to cut up a chicken breast to go with it and it was really good! http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif If anyone can't find something on the menu one night or if you want something different, this is a tasty alternative! http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

Caribbean Princess - 4/2004
Dawn Princess - 12/2003
Sea Princess - 12/2000
Emerald Seas - 7/1984

[Cruisinforever]

I love the fettucine on the Princess ships! I even eat that layer of nice, chewy cheese (I think it is parmesean?) that melted in the pasta bowl and then becomes that nice, satisfactory cheesy delight.... oh, I'm getting hungry and I haven't had any lunch, and it's 2:15 where I live. That bag of Cheese curls is looking mighty good sitting over in the kitchen! http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

JJ
Caribbean Princess 5/1/04
Star Princess 5/24/03
Sun Princess 6/12/00
Carnival Fantasy 1/18/98